Threshold seals

ABSTRACT

The sealing action of a draft excluder comprising an elastomeric element and a retaining member is lightened and made more complete without excessive pressures by permitting portions of the section of the element to retreat bodily under loading relative to the member. The element section is round and the member retains the element in an open rectangular section channel.

United States Patent 1191 App]. No.: 222,352

Foreign Application Priority Data 4/1963 Fuller....- 49/485 X Dixon Mar. 12, 1974 [54] THRESHOLD SEALS 2,616,724 10/1952 Barr 49/488 x 2,684,508 7/1954 Me ers et al. 49/485 x [75] Inventor: g g 01x0", Harpenden 2,771,165 11/1956 1361i 52/627 ng an FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLI ATl N [73] Assignee: Bernard Dixon and Partners 628 527 1/1936 0 C 0 3 ermany London England 485,619 10/1953 ltaly 49/489 22 Filed: Jan. 1,1972

Primary Examiner-Mervin Stein Assistant ExaminerPhilip C. Kannan Attorney, Agent, or FirmStevens, Davis, Miller &

Mosher [5 7] ABSTRACT The sealing action of a draft excluder comprising an elastomeric element and a retaining member is lightened and made more complete without excessive pressures by permitting portions of the section of the element to retreat bodily under loading relative to the member. The element section is round and the member retains the element in an open rectangular section channel.

6 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAR 12 I974 SHEET 1 [If 2 SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG]. 14 I5 14 THRESHOLD SEALS I may be encountered. Some prior draft excluders tend to seal over only those portions of the length to be sealed which they first encounter, strong pressure often being necessary to attain sealing over a greater proportion of the length to be sealed.

An object of the present invention is to attain sealing over a substantial proportion of the length without using excessive pressures on the draft excluders.

The invention resides in a draft excluder comprising a stiff, elongate seal-retaining member and an elongate elastomeric sealing element of round cross-section retained thereby in parallel relationship therewith,one side of the element protruding beyond the retaining member to present a longitudinal operative surface, the retaining member affording the element support in two longitudinal planes mutually at right angles against bodily displacement under loading when such is applied to the operative surface, but permitting the element limited bodily displacement in the angles between the planes, one of which planes intersects the operative surface.

By permitting such limited bodily displacement of the elastomeric element, we have found it possible not only to lighten the action of the draft excluder, thereby making doors and windows, to which the excluder has been applied, easier to shut, but also to improve the chances of completing sealing over long lengths.

The elastomeric element may be tubular or nontubular and composed e.g. of neoprene.

When employed as a sealing device, the excluder may be attached to a major face of the bottom rail of a door or equivalent surface of a flush-fitting door, french or casement window, and brush and then seal against the top surface of a threshold plate or equivalent when the door or window is in a'closed condition.

The draft excluder according to the present invention may however be embodied in a threshold plate and protrude to brush and then seal against the underneath of the door or window.

The draft excluder may furthermore be attached to a jamb or head of the door or window frame and instead of having a brushing, sealing action, abut and thereby seal against the major faces of .the side rails on the lock and hinge sides of the door or window frame and against the top rail. The excluder may be attached to the door or window stops or supplant them.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating several examples of draught excluder embodying the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an end viewof one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates, in an end view, an example of the application of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4 and 4A show, respectively, in end views examples of the use of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 depicts an end view of a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an end view of one manner of using the embodiment of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows an end view of a still further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates, in an end view, an application of the embodiment of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 8, such excluder comprises a stiff, elongate member 10, usually of metal, say rolled aluminum. This member 10 is formed with a channel 1 1 of open section extending throughout its length. The

walls 12 of the channel interior are substantially at right angles to the channel base 13. Inwardly directed lips 14 are formed at the opening of the section.

Retained in the channel 11 by these lips 14 and extending throughout its length is an elongate, elastomeric sealing-element 15, the natural (fully relaxed) form of which in the examples is of circular crosssection and tubular as well. This circular section may be somewhat deformed in the channel 11 even when the draft excluder is not under loading, because the sealing element 15 touches the lips 14 but protrudes from the opening between them to present a longitudinal operative surface. Nevertheless it is essential, so far as concerns the invention, that spaces 16 exist between the sealing element 15 and the channel 11 when the excluder is not under loading.

The channel section shown is a convenient form to make. It is to be understood however that its width and depth and the corresponding diameter or other transverse dimension of the sealing element 15 may be proportioned as required.

The lips 14 in all the excluders are directed parallel to the channel base 13, and the distance between them is less than the diameter of the sealing element 15 in its natural form.

As regards the possible application of these excluders, FIG. 2 shows folding doors 17, FIG. 4 shows a door 18 closed on to its stop 19 to the side of which the excluder is secured, FIG. 4A illustrates a door 18 closed on its stop the excluder of FIG. 3 being secured to the door to cooperate with a threshold plate 22, and FIG. 6 shows a door 18 closed on to the excluder alone, the excluder in the latter case being secured to a jamb 20 and supplanting the customary stop. In the manner indicated by FIGS. 4 and 6, the excluder in these two examples is preferably applied (in appropriate lengths) to the lock and hinge sides and head of the jamb 20.

In FIGS. 2, 4 and 6, the sealing element 15 abuts (without brushing) on the door 17 or 18 when the door is brought thereto.

In FIG. 8, however, the excluder is partially let into a groove 21 in the floor and the sealing element 15 brushes against the underside of the door 18 and seals. The action of the seal in FIG. 4A is similar, where the excluder cooperates with-the threshold plate 22.

The direction of closing of the door in FIGS. 2, 4, 4A, 6 and 8 is indicated by an arrow in each case. The door in FIG. 8 may however be a glass swing-door with no stop but with a centralising device (not illustrated) and consequently can approach the sealing element 15 from either direction.

When the door inthe various Figures is in a closed condition, the sealing element 15 will be loaded and compressed by the door (but only lightly in FIGS. 4A and 8) and tend to retreat by being bodily displaced into the spaces 16, thereby enabling the door to be closed fully and sealed without having to use strong force to overcome the sealing element 15. Nevertheless, on opening the door, the member will resile from the spaces 16.

When protruding, operative surface of the sealing element 15 is subjected to loading, the channel 11 affords the element 15 support where there is mutual contact between the two. It can be seen from the drawings that contact is made with the interior side walls 12 and base 13 of the channel substantially in two longitudinal planes a, b (see FIG. 1) which intersect substantially on the longitudinal axis of the element 15. Accordingly the element 15 is supported in the planes a, b against bodily displacement under loading but the spaces 16 permit the element limited bodily displacement in the angles between these planes, plane a intersecting the operative surface of the element.

The planesa, b could also have been shown on FIGS. 2 to 8 but have been omitted to avoid overcrowding them.

I claim:

1. A draft excluder comprising a stiff, elongate member providing a channel of open section, and an elongate elastomeric seal of round section retained in the channel in parallel relationship with the member, the

member having on its interior a base, side walls and lips directed inwards towards each other to partially close the open channel section, the lips being opposite the base, thereby retaining the seal but permitting the seal to protrude laterally between the lips to present a longitudinal operative surface, the base and wallsmaking tangential contact with the seal, and the member and seal defining between them,in the absence of loading on the operative surface of the seal, an empty space extending throughout the length of the sea] from each side of the contact between the base and the seal, intowhich space the seal can partially retreat under loading on the operative surface but from which space the seal can resile, said contact being made with the walls and base in two longitudinal planes which intersect substantially on the longitudinal axis of the seal, one of said longitudinal planes intersecting the operative surface of the seal.

2. A draft excluder as claimed in claim 1 in which the seal in an unloaded state is of substantially cylindrical cross-section, and the walls of the member are substantially at right angles to the base.

3. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 1 further including a first element movable to a closed position and having the draft excluder secured thereto, and a second element having a threshold plate secured thereto, the threshold plate being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the plate brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed.

4. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 1 further including a first element movable to a closed position, and a second element having the excluder secured thereto, the first element being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the first element brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed.

5. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 2 further including a first element movable to a closed position and having the draft excluder secured thereto, and a second element having ,a threshold plate secured thereto, the threshold plate being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the plate brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed. v

6. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 2 further including a first element movable to a closed position, and a second element having the excluder secured thereto, the first element being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the first element brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed. 

1. A draft excluder comprising a stiff, elongate member providing a channel of open section, and an elongate elastomeric seal of round section retained in the channel in parallel relationship with the member, the member having on its interior a base, side walls and lips directed inwards towards each other to partially close the open channel section, the lips being opposite the base, thereby retaining the seal but permitting the seal to protrude laterally between the lips to present a longitudinal operative surface, the base and walls making tangential contact with the seal, and the member and seal defining between them,in the absence of loading on the operative surface of the seal, an empty space extending throughout the length of the seal from each side of the contact between the base and the seal, into which space the seal can partially retreat under loading on the operative surface but from which space the seal can resile, said contact being made with the walls and base in two longitudinal planes which intersect substantially on the longitudinal axis of the seal, one of said longitudinal planes intersecting the operative surface of the seal.
 2. A draft excluder as claimed in claim 1 in which the seal in an unloaded state is of substantially cylindrical cross-section, and the walls of the member are substantially at right angles to the base.
 3. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 1 further including a first element movable to a closed position and having the draft excluder secured thereto, and a second element having a threshold plate secured thereto, the threshold plate being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the plate brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed.
 4. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 1 further including a first element movable to a closed position, and a second element having the excluder secured thereto, the first element being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the first element brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed.
 5. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 2 further including a first element movable to a closed position and having the draft excluder secured thereto, and a second element having a threshold plate secured thereto, the threshold plate being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the plate brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed.
 6. The draft excluder as claimed in claim 2 further including a first element movable to a closed position, and a second element having the excluder secured thereto, the first element being arranged to cooperate with the excluder in which the first element brushes and then seals against the excluder when the first element is closed. 